does one rest day affect training?

It depends. 60 miles is sixty miles. If your everyday schedule allow, you should run 7 days and 70 miles instead! That would make you better. If you add another day, you should add mileage. I think perhaps 7 days of running 60 miles is better than 7 days running 60 miles if you train polarized. If you run your easy days to hard, you should definetly choose 60 miles for 6 days. But as said, why not use the extra day to add mileage?

Why would you add a day in but not increase mileage?

recoveryman wrote:

I usually train/run 6 days a week. If I were to increase to 7 days per week would that improve my running granted the mileage between 6 days per week and 7 days per week doesn't change and workouts stay the same.

for example 60 miles per week off of 6 days of training vs 60 miles per week off of 7 days of training. which is better? or do they have the same effect?

I'm assuming that off day is your recovery day? I wouldn't like to rely on a recovery day for a significant portion of my training volume, so I wouldn't spread out the volume to accommodate for the added day. That takes volume away from the other 6 days comprising of runs and workouts that are meant to drive fitness.

Mileage totals aside, would it improve your overall running? Maybe. Recovery is very individual; some people get a benefit from easier running, some like cross training, and some like a day off. But the training effect should be the same regardless of which method you choose. If you think you can achieve the same or better recovery by adding a 20 min jog on that day, that would be fair game.

I know people talk about "junk" miles all the time, and I don't really care how much someone does as long as they can maintain the right intensity, but to me each day has a purpose. Recovery days are for recovery. If you want to have an A+ recovery day then you want to pick the method that's best for you. That might give you more or less mileage, but it shouldn't borrow mileage from other planned workouts and runs for the week.

Not really. Look at BYU both Men's and Women's teams

I think the recovery day makes more sense to keep 60 in 6 versus 60 in 7. The off day might be really good to you. Generally, running more can lead to improvements. 70 in 7 is better than 60 in 6 to some extent but maybe you still take a full off day every other week or once a month or when your body needs it. I wouldn't be quick to spread out 60 in 7. Your daily run doesn't go down that much.

Training is stress + recovery repeated.

You make your body do something that’s a challenge, and if you give it time to recover, it will be better able to do that same challenge and push a little further or faster next time.

To oversimplify, as you get fitter, your choices to keep progressing are:

1: increase the stress (longer runs, harder runs)

2: decrease the recovery so you can cycle through these stress/recovery patterns more frequently.

A misconception is that people add doubles just so they can increase volume. What you are really doing is increasing the number of times your body does this reaction to stress. Instead of every 24 hours, now it’s every 12. Same thing about adding days to the week.

I always try to get the most I can out of a regular schedule before adding additional days or workouts.

recoveryman wrote:

I usually train/run 6 days a week. If I were to increase to 7 days per week would that improve my running granted the mileage between 6 days per week and 7 days per week doesn't change and workouts stay the same.

for example 60 miles per week off of 6 days of training vs 60 miles per week off of 7 days of training. which is better? or do they have the same effect?

One day off from training really affects training, ...... in a very positive way with 100% reloading energy.Almost all my runners I coach/coached have /had one day off in the week.

recoveryman wrote:

I usually train/run 6 days a week. If I were to increase to 7 days per week would that improve my running granted the mileage between 6 days per week and 7 days per week doesn't change and workouts stay the same.

for example 60 miles per week off of 6 days of training vs 60 miles per week off of 7 days of training. which is better? or do they have the same effect?

This reminds me of Derek Graham (post below from Hadd and Antonio Cabral - 2 kinds of runners thread)

He was ranked number 1 in U.K. and Ireland over 2 miles/3000m, 3 miles/5000m and cross country at various periods in the 1960's.

Personal bests

1 mile- 3.59.2 (eclipsed the 4-minute barrier on 3 occasions)- N.I. RECORD

3000m 8.03- IRISH RECORD

2 mile- 8.33.8-U.K/IRISH RECORD

3 mile- 13.15.6 recorded in the same race that Ron Clarke broke the World record and I was the first British runner. IRISH RECORD

5000m - 13.41.4- IRISH RECORD

6 mile- 28.40.6-N.I. RECORD

10,000m - 29.00.06- N.I. RECORD

Half marathon- 1hr 3 mins 53 IRISH RECORD

15 mile road 1hr 13 mins 45 IRISH RECORD

Training (from interview)

I liked to get out about 6 days a week and never trained twice a day. Ten and five milers were a stable part of my training with many strides throughout the duration of the runs. This gave me the stamina and at the same time it worked at speed and speed endurance. My runs were always tempo, never slow paced. When training we would be out for a long run and then I would suggest doing a stride to a specific lamppost. When we were almost there I would then say ok continue to the next one? Things like that happened often. We played around and had fun at the same time. On occasions I would go out for a run myself and then meet up with the boys at the club for another run later on. I was self-coached and did pretty much what my club team mates did. There was nothing scientific or startling to my training as I couldn't even tell you about any specific training sessions that stick out in my memory! Many times when I went to compete at the White City I would hear the mutterings from the likes of Hill, Stewart and so on of how many miles they had trained each week. Sometimes they would say 100, other times 160, I would suddenly question my being there. After all I had probably only done about 60 odd mile each week, 70 at the very, very most. When I was doing the indoor races in the winter I would occasionally nip into Ormeau Park and do 150m sprints in the dark with a 30 sec recovery, this would be repeated about 30 times.

running 7 days at the same mileage would probably make you more recovered. less miles per day would put less stress on the body. same logic as a five and five double being easier than a ten mile single

Yea but he prod doesn’t “need” more recovery if he is only doing 60 miles... if he spread it out over 7 then he has less volumes which is less training stimulus... 60 in 6 days a a pretty good plan... like someone else said 70 in 7 may be better but no reason to add a run to an off day if you don’t need to... if he is bored and has time to exercise on his off day and doesn’t want to add mileage he may get a boost for an cross training season... bike, swim or lift weights (if you aren’t already doing that).

Taking a day off per week is a good thing, that will give you time to recovery, rebuild, rest & regroup, it's better to be 1% Under Train that 1% Over Train.

Good Luck & Enjoy Your Day OFF.

👌👍✌🏃